Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1887-02-11
Mr.. WATTERSOH DISCOURAGED.
HE BELIEVES THAT CLEVELAND
Is running THE DEMOCRATIC
pARpN


running THE DEMOCRATIC
PARTY.
Dispatch to Louisville Courier-Journal,
Dem.
WASHINGTON, Jan. I'll look
upon the Democratic situation
which prevails in the national capt.
tai at this time with kind of sor-
rowing amazement. On every
hand | encounter, among the sen
atOrs, among the representatives,
among the people, but one sentl-
ment, and that of discomfort and
foreboding. The Republicans are
jubilant; the Democrats are dis
couraged. The President sits with
his back upon the scene, and but
yesterday said to a friend, who
thinks Just as ! do; 81 believe |
have done pretty well, consider
ing
lie is the one man in Washing
ton blind to the truth and deaf 10
counseIs. Even the Secretary OF
State, who has lived most of his
life i'm a peachblOw vase 5000 miles
beyond the moon, is not, ! am told,
wholly LOST to the real state of the
case. But there seems no help Tor
il. 4 man as incapable OF receiv-
ing impression as Of returning
warmth, and sensible OF criticism
only to the point Of resenting 1t,
the President sits in the White
House like a wooden image, made
10 be worshiped, not to be loved. To
the weaker members Of his Cabi-
net he has impaired his dull self
sufliciency and cold stOlidity. The
most serviIe, as well as the SINGER
est, form of hattery is imitation ;
and the "beggars on horseback
whom Mr.. Cleveland, seeking to
discover a new political planet and
to people 1t with creatures OF his
own, brought into being and
mounted have caught the trick OF
their chief, and are equally indus
trious and successful in neglecting
great for little things, and in see
ing nothing clearly except the reg
Nations of the civil service. They,
TOO. "take more Joy in one Republl-
can who has repented and turned
Mugwump than in ninety and nine
Democrats who have never gone
astray."
The other evening, after dinner,
when the President had met n Sc
lect party of Democrats, it was pro
posed to hold a mock Cabinet
meeting. Oddly, this man OF destl-
nv. who has as little humOr as acu'
men. without thought of the trap
that was set to catch him, agreed
to this. ThereupOn, each member
of the company turned loose upon
him in a serio.comic way and gave
him the sort of talk the Courier
journal has been giving him the
the last two months. He listened
with complacency. Finally, when
the last speaker, one of his own
political family. had put in a meta
phorical Touchdown right between
the Executive eyes, he closed them,
and. leaning back in his chair and
playing tattoo upon his ample
shirt.fr front with his thumbs, said,
with touch of offended dignity {;
"Really, gentlemen, | can not see
that | am to blame for all this, or
how | can mend it,
Is it not most melancholy, and
almost astounding, that one who
is by no means destitute OF COM
mon sense and native craft should
be so dense 2 4 near and old friend
of his said 10 ne not long ago: "Of
all the ard natures ever encOun-
tered. his is the most arid. lie
sympathlzes with nobody, makes
common cause with nobody, and,
solely TO fortune or caprice The
author ofthis description nurses no
disappointment, was far beyond
the reach OF presidential fear or IA.
vor, and simply spoke in the spirit
of an historian and philosopher.
This view of the President being
true, he is rather to be pitied than
censured.
Assuredly, if know ny own
heart. it has within it not one shad-
CIV of Ill will against the President
or any member Of his Cabinet, for
two of whom at least entertain
sentiments of affectOnate regard.
But truly believe they are wreck
ing us: that the President is sole
" responsible for this, though GER
tain members of this Government
are busy helping him and while l
could hold my peace and leave "the
bows in the trenches with no one
to speak for them, the Admlnistra-
ton has given small, if any, reason
for the sacrifice of that which Is
the business of my life, for the
journalist is nothing if not a yehl-
Gle OF communication and intelll'
gence, eHtepuatlng much, but set
ting down naught in malice.